More visitors are coming to the Richmond area to participate in conventions and sporting events, giving a boost to the regional economy, generating jobs and filling hotels.

One signal of the impact of visitors is the record lodging tax collections that the city and three counties have reported for the 2022-23 fiscal year that ended June 30.

Richmond Region Tourism (RRT) reported that the preliminary total of taxes collected in Richmond and the counties of Chesterfield, Hanover and Henrico hit $35 million, a new record and a 16.4% increase from lodging tax collections in the 2021-22 fiscal year.

The tax rose along with total hotel revenues for the four localities.

The total revenue before expenses topped $437 million for the first time, and that does not count unreported revenues of people operating short-term rentals in homes and apartments.

Localities in this area have yet to make collection of taxes from Air B&B affiliates and other on-line short-term rental companies a top priority.

“The region’s momentum as a tourist destination continues to accelerate,” said Jack Berry, president and CEO of the regional tourism promotion group that works on behalf of seven regional jurisdictions, which also include New Kent County, Colonial Heights and Ashland.

He said Richmond’s reputation for “historic, cultural, entertainment and natural resources” is playing a role, as is the strategic partnerships that are in place.

Having the Greater Richmond Convention Center, the largest meeting and exhibition facility in the commonwealth, also is helping to bring more people to the region, Mr. Berry noted.

The convention center hosted 218 events in fiscal year 2023, a 21% increase compared to the previous year, according to RRT data.

Those events brought 380,000 visitors to the area to take part in a meeting or conference at the center in Downtown, RRT reported. Some examples include the comic book GalaxyCon, the National Genealogical Society’ Family History Conference and the Southeast Chapter of the Nuclear Energy Institute’s Women in Nuclear 2022 Conference.

Mr. Berry stated that sports tourism also is pushing up visitor numbers and now accounts for 68% of RRT’s bookings.

Softball, soccer, lacrosse and volley- ball events were big draws in the past 12 months, he continued, as were the Atlantic 10 Men’s and Women’s Cross-Country championships, the U.S. Masters Swim- ming Summer Nationals and the Shooting Star Field Hockey Tournament.

Brandon Hinton, a Hanover County official and chair of RRT, noted that sports tourism has led to more public investment in playing fields, sports complexes, bike trails and parks, making the region more competitive.

RRT projects that the region’s tourism growth should continue as the result of passage of local legislation that hotels supported that earmarks 2% percent of hotel revenue to beefing up marketing and promotion of the area.

The legislation enabled creation of Richmond’s Tourism Improvement District initiative for collective marketing. That initiative is expected to generate $8 million or more to bolster marketing and promotion and dramatically expand RRT’s ability to increase visitor numbers.